Columbus, Ohio rapper Illogic has scheduled a release date of March 24 for his first album in five years, Diabolical Fun. It is completely produced by the relatively unknown Ill Poetic, who made a name for himself last year with a series of quirky mashups (including mixing Portishead and beef master Joe Budden). The album drops via Rhymesayers cohort Blueprint’s label Weightless Recordings.
Here’s a big chunk from the bio:
Columbus, Ohio-based Illogic has always strived to take complex rhyme schemes and metaphoric storytelling to new levels of the art form. In 1999, the release of Unforeseen Shadows caught a ground swell of positive press and stellar reviews for Illogic and the then-indie upstart label Weightless Recordings. By the time 2003 rolled around, Illogic had released two other projects on Weightless Recordings – the Got Lyrics? EP (2001) and the long awaited full length follow up to Unforeseen, Celestial Clockwork (2003). Expectations for the new album were high, as fans had waited almost two additional years to see the release due to competing priorities at the label.
In Spring 2003, Illogic was named one of URB Magazine’s “Next 100†artists to check for, along with the likes of Little Brother, a then-widely unknown Kanye West, and others who have since “blown up.†When the album finally did release, early reviews were positive. However, Illogic’s career abruptly halted with seemingly no explanation.
“Once Celestial Clockwork dropped, the ball was rolling,†Illogic explains. “The album was well received along with my stage show. I was touring heavily with many prominent underground acts, yet on top of all of this I was married with two children and a third on the way. The toll that this took on my family life was immeasurable by any stretch of the imagination, because music and being on tour was my job. Leaving them seemed a necessity for the path that I felt was chosen for me. My only problem was that my entire life was out of balance and I had no idea… I was sleep walking in place. I was constantly dreaming, thinking I was progressing, and not realizing that I was stagnant. Until November 10, 2004; missing the birth of my third son was my wake-up call. I then knew it was time to slow down and get my priorities in order. I had to find myself for the first time.â€
After over four years without a major album release, a renewed sense of self, and a clear vision for the future, Illogic now more than ever seeks to shatter the glass ceiling of the underground and give the industry and masses what they so clearly need… a truly gifted emcee.
“The last few years have been some of my greatest,†says Illogic. “I feel like I am ready to receive the blessings waiting for me as I share this gift that I have been given. I am truly focused and ready to give the people something to talk about…something to believe in. I think music…the way we hear music, and the way we hear artists, are completely changing now. Fans are looking for something real, something tangible, and something they can relate too. I believe that as a society we are getting tired of the fantasy world that music has been centered on as of late. All we want is the truth, and I believe I have a truth yet to be heard – because I am truly yet to be heard. I believe I have unfinished business to attend to. I know God is not done using me and I will fulfill my purpose.â€
- 1. “What’s My Name?”
- 2. “Diabolical Fun”
- 3. “Violent Verbage”
- 4. “What Happened?”
- 5. “I Know You”
- 6. “Let’s Go”
- 7. “Crash” (feat. Ill Poetic)
- 8. “Get Up Get Down”
- 9. “Now’s the Time”
- 10. “Right Here”
- 11. “Feel the Beat”
- 12. “Walk Into the Sunset”
Here is Illogic’s “Diabolical Fun”:
